Not Meant to Be by JustSunny
by cheaterscontest
Summary: Anastasia Grey seemingly has the perfect life. A loving husband, a shining career and a wonderful family, but when her secret is discovered, she is forced to make a decision she never wanted to make… CheatersContest Entry.


**Title of Story: Not Meant To Be**

 **Rating: M**

 **Pairing: Anastasia S. / Christian G.**

 **Genre: Drama/Romance**

 **Word Count: 3040 words**

 **Story Summary: Anastasia Grey seemingly has the perfect life. A loving husband, a shining career and a wonderful family, but when her secret is discovered, she is forced to make a decision she never wanted to make…**

 **Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.**

*O*o*O*

The delicious scent of eggs, bacon and pancakes filled the air as Ana busied herself in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her husband. She listened to the music coming from the radio on the countertop, her hips swayed to the rhythm of the music, while she flipped the pancakes and proceeded to put the food onto plates, which she then placed on the breakfast bar just in time for her husband to emerge from the bedroom.

He was a sight for sore eyes. Handsome, already dressed for work and as always there was a wicked gleam in his eyes when he spotted her. Ana Grey knew that women everywhere would kill to be her, not because she was a very beautiful woman, but because of her incredibly sexy husband. She had seen it on countless occasions. Women would go out of their way to be close to him, to just look at him and at the same time they would glare at her when they saw it. The love and devotion her husband had for her, he never gave her any reason to be jealous. She was all he ever wanted. From the moment he first laid eyes on her, she had become the center of his universe and it would never change.

A ping from her phone interrupted her thoughts, just as he leaned in to kiss her and she gave him a quick peck, before she grabbed her phone to read the text message she just received.

 _* Missing you like crazy, Ana. Meet me at lunchtime at our apartment... no underwear required ;-) *_

"Something important?", her husband asked, and guilt washed over her when she replied: "No, just Hannah, she had to schedule a lunch meeting in", she lied smoothly.

"You work too much", he said and she sighed. Her work had become a constant point of argument for them. Ever since Christian bought SIP, now known as Grey Publishing, Christian wanted her to become the COO immediately, but she declined his offer. She wanted to earn her way to the top and if she was being honest with herself, she also loved being an editor too much to be bothered with the boring financial and overall business stuff of a publishing house. Books had always been her one true love. At least that was what she thought until she met her husband and a little later the man with whom she was breaking her vows for almost a year now.

When she agreed to become Ana Grey, she thought she had found the love of her life; that he was her happily ever after; now she stayed with her husband because she feared what the truth would do to all of them.

"Penny for your thoughts?" His deep, beautiful voice pulled her back and she looked up.

"Nothing, I was just going through my schedule for today", she murmured and sat down next to him. Just looking at the food in front of her made her sick to her stomach, knowing that in a few hours she would cheat on her husband again. Even if she tried not to, she could never say no; she was spellbound to the other man in her life and no matter how much she struggled with it, she could never say no to him.

"Like I've said you work too much. You know, you could just stay home, it's not like we need the money, Ana."

"Please babe, let's not rehash this argument again. You know that I want to work and I love my job. Maybe in a couple of years when we have kids, I'll decide to stay home, but not now...", she said and he just kissed her temple and he continued to scarf down his breakfast like it was his last meal, doing nothing to help Ana find her own appetite.

Over time, little things about him had started to really annoy her. The way he ate was right on top of that list, along with his habit of leaving a trail of clothes whenever he changed, and the fact that he treated her body like his property. She wasn't opposed to having sex a lot, but sometimes she just wanted to make love, while for him it was only satisfying if he fucked the life out her.

"I have to leave now, I'll see you tonight. Love you, baby", he said as soon as he had swallowed the last bite of pancake, and gave her a chaste kiss before he headed out of the house.

Ana stayed behind, waited until she heard the car, and dialed the number of her lover.

"You can't send me text messages like that", she scolded him as soon as he picked up.

"Why not? Are you wet for me?", he asked in that sexy tone of voice he had when he knew she was turned on for him. Involuntarily, Ana pressed her thighs together.

"Please, what if he sees them?"

"Ana, at one point he will find out, and so will Kate. We both know it is going to happen one day and honestly, I don't give a fuck. I want to be with you. You know that if you tell me you are ready, I'm more than happy to live with the consequences if it means I can be with you." Hearing him say this brought tears to her eyes and she angrily dashed them away.

"I can't do this. Kate is my best friend... what about our family... please don't talk about this", she begged.

"Shit, please don't cry baby. We'll find a way. Can we meet at lunch?"

"Yes, I have to go now, bye."

"Laters baby." he said and with that she had to giggle.

"Laters."

An hour later Ana Grey arrived at her office that was housed in the small building that was Grey Publishing.

"Morning, Hannah", she greeted her assistant as she walked by her desk.

"Morning, Ana. Mr. Grey has sent a parcel for you; I've put it on your desk", she said and Ana smiled as she went into her office, closed the door and looked at the small box.

She knew immediately which Mr. Grey had sent this present for her... it was not her husband. For a few moments she just looked at it, but then curiosity won and she carefully removed the neat gift wrapping and opened the box to reveal her favorite red velvet cupcake with vanilla frosting. She couldn't help the smile on her face; it had been their shared loved for the baked goods of a small bakery just outside of downtown Seattle which started their affair.

Ana had discovered the place one day on her way home when she had been craving chocolate after an especially stressful day at Grey Publishing. Soon she would stop by at least once a week to buy some cupcakes, and one afternoon she had just bought the last red velvet and chocolate cupcake they had on display, when her brother in law in walked in. She had planned to buy a bottle of wine in the liquor store down the street and enjoy it with her cupcakes as a really unhealthy dinner. She figured that the cupcake and the wine would keep her company while her husband was out of town on business. Fate however, had very different plans for her.

Her brother in law had the same intention that day, because his wife, her best friend Kate, was also out of town. She could see his disappointment when he discovered that his favorite pastry was already sold out, so Ana offered to share with him and they went to his place.

It was the first time she ever spent time with her brother in law alone. She always avoided it, because even though she never even confessed it to herself, she had been attracted to him from the moment she had first laid eyes on him.

At his place she offered to cook, aware that his kitchen skills were just as bad as his brothers. She made a simple meal, just some pasta with vegetables and Italian sausage, nothing fancy or extraordinary, but he really enjoyed their meal and praised her cooking skills, something her own husband had always taken for granted.

After their meal they settled down on the sofa, enjoyed a glass of wine along with their cupcakes, and talked until the sun came up. The next day was a Saturday and because neither of their spouses would return until Monday she accepted his offer to stay and spent the weekend together. They both went to sleep for a few hours and she made a late brunch around noon. After that, they went out for a walk and unconsciously he grabbed her hand as they walked along the busy street. It felt so right and wrong at the same time.

When they both noticed what they were doing, he let go of her hand, brushing it off with a joke, but Ana knew in that moment that she was crossing a line. She knew if she would return to his home things would become complicated and she knew that he knew it too. Still, she couldn't help herself. She went with him, and the second they entered his home, and their skin touched, she felt a tingling sensation all over her body, and found herself pinned against the wall by six feet and two inches of hot male. Their first time together had been rough; they ripped each others clothes off, eager to feel and see more of the other, and never made it to the bedroom. Instead, they had wild, primal sex in the middle of the entrance hall of his home.

When they came down from their high, she could see guilt and regret in his eyes. In that moment she believed it was because they just cheated on their spouses, but he surprised her by apologizing for taking her the way he did... and he made up for it by making gentle sweet love to her for the rest of the day.

She had never felt so cherished, safe or loved with her own husband and it was then and there that she knew she was in love with him. Neither of them said it out loud for the nearly six months of their illicit affair. One night however, in the middle of their love making, he said it... moaned it…when he poured himself into her, and she couldn't help but confess her love for him as well.

Yet she couldn't leave her husband, because she still felt love for him; she just wasn't in love with him anymore. She was hopelessly in love with a man she knew would never be hers.

"Ana, your mother in law is here to see you", Hannah's voice came through the speaker on her desk.

"Send her in." She replies, pleasantly surprised that her mother decided to stop by for a surprise visit. Her own mother had been absent for most of her life and never really cared for her daughter. She never knew what real motherly love felt like, not until Grace Grey embraced her like she was her own child. For that Ana would always be thankful to her and it was also one of the reasons she knew she could never be with the man she loved.

"Grace, it's good to see you, can I offer you something to drink?"

"No thank you, darling. We need to talk." She said uncharacteristically serious and Ana felt sick. Grace knows, that was all Ana could think of in this moment.

"Grace..."

"Darling, please let me talk. I love you like my own daughter, but what you are doing, it has to stop. I know my son and Kate are unhappy in their marriage, but it's no excuse. They are brothers, best friends even and this will tear them apart. I'm sure you have your reasons and I won't even ask you why, but I'm telling you it has to stop now. I'm giving you one chance to end your affair. If you do, I will never bring it up again. We can keep this secret between us and no one has to know. Should you decide to carry the affair on, I will have no choice but to talk to both Elliot and Christian. Do the right thing, sweetheart." And with that Grace walked out of Ana's office leaving her devastated and desperate, not knowing what to do.

When Ana arrived at the apartment she once called her sanctuary she was close to tears, knowing that this was it. She had to end it now. She couldn't risk her husband and Kate finding out, she didn't want to be responsible for ruining the relationship between the brothers. She just couldn't see a way to make this easy or to continue being with both brothers. Her love had been doomed from the moment it started and now she had to end it.

When the doors of the elevator opened and she saw him, she couldn't do it, not now, she needed to be with him one last time. Only one more time and she would walk away. She flew into his arms, crashing her lips to his and clinging to him for dear life.

"Hey… Ana... baby slow down, what is going on?", he asked trying to calm her down.

"I missed you, please make love to me", she begged desperately and she could tell that he wanted to ask her what was going on, but seeing the desperation in her eyes, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her into their bedroom where he made slow, sweet love to her.

Later Ana was resting in his arms and drew slow circles on his chest with her fingers. She didn't want their time together to end, knowing it would be the last time they could be this close.

"Talk to me, baby. I know something is wrong", he said gently, lifting her chin with his finger so she had to look into his beautiful eyes.

"I can't do this anymore", she whispered and tears started to flow down her face.

"What? No! Ana please, you can't do this. Please, we belong together. I... I'll leave, Kate and ..."

"No! Don't you see what we are doing is wrong, our family will never forgive us, this has to end", she sobbed and got out of bed.

"What about us? Don't we have a right to be happy?", he asked not willing to let her go.

"Grace knows... she came to my office. If we don't end this she is going to tell. Please, you know I love you, but I can't do this anymore", she begged as she hastily put her clothes on. He stood up too, naked and beautiful and so, so vulnerable in this moment.

"My mother knows?", he asked clearly horrified.

"Yes, I don't know how, but she knows. We cannot see each other again. Please, we need to end this now. I cannot be responsible for ruining your relationship with your brother; I can't bring this kind of heartbreak onto our family. We should have never done this... it was wrong and we both knew it. Please let me go", dhe begged again, but she could see he wouldn't let her go as a stubborn expression came to his face.

"No, I don't care, I love you, Ana. I want to be with you. My brother doesn't deserve you, he doesn't appreciate you. Does he know about your dreams? Does he want to give you the children you so desperately want? Does he want to give you the house with the huge garden you always dreamt of? Does he appreciate all the little things you do for him each day?", he asks and Ana's tears fell harder and faster down her face.

"I made my choice when I agreed to become his wife. I can't change him, but I have to try to make my marriage work and so do you", she replied, trying to make him see that they had to end it now, before they would hurt their entire family.

"I don't give a fuck about Kate and believe me that's a mutual agreement in my so called marriage. Please Ana, don't leave me, you are my life. We can find a way; I promise you we can do this. I don't care if I lose my brother or even my entire family, because being with you means so much more to me", he said and she knew he would never give up unless she would make it clear there was no hope for them to ever have a future together.

"I don't want that. I would never be happy knowing that my happiness came out of the misery of someone else. Let's be honest, what we had it was never about anything more than sex. We had a good time together, but now it is over. Goodbye", she said and left the bedroom nearly running towards the elevator. She needed to leave now or he would see her break down.

"You are lying, you love me. You love me as much as I love you!", he called out after her and she pressed the button for the elevator.

"Look at me damn it!", he demanded when he reached her, but she kept her gaze focused on the elevator doors until they finally opened. Quickly, she stepped into the elevator, shaking with tears as she finally looked up to face the broken, naked man in front of her. She knew he was willing to sacrifice everything for her and for that she would always love him, but she couldn't let him do it, because he needed his family.

"Ana", he gasped as the doors slowly closed.

"Christian", she whispered just before the doors shut and the elevator began its decent into her own personal hell.

She would always be Ana Grey and she would always wish that she was Ana Grey wife of Christian and not Elliot Grey...

*O*o*O*

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